• One more chance to say thanks (and cheer yours lungs out): the final home Crusader football game is Saturday at Younts Stadium at noon. Please make a point to come out and enjoy the game. While you’re at it, invite about 500 of your closest friends.• Why the early kickoff? Let’s just say the South Dakota Coyotes have to ride the bus 1,500 miles to play this game, and it’s a LONG way back to Vermillion, South Dakota. This weekend’s game is the final Division I FCS contest of the season for the Crusaders.• Here’s one way to say thanks to the 14 Crusader seniors who will play their final game in the friendly confines … go down on the field after the game and personally give them a pat on the back!• BTW … be sure to personally thank every member of the Crusader band, the flag corps and the cheerleaders for their support all season long.• Special hint for Saturday’s game … be sure to look UP at 11:55 a.m.!• Special congrats to the women’s soccer team for clinching the Independents College Athletic Association’s (ICAA) national title last week. The ladies defeated Tennessee Temple 7-0 last Saturday in Chattanooga pushing their season record to an all-time best 10-4. • Freshman forward Leah Ward (Waynesville, NC) scored four goals and added two assists vs. Tennessee Temple and two more in a 2-0 win over Toccoa Falls last week. Wow!• Big game of the week – NGU men’s soccer vs. Emmanuel College (GA) Saturday on the road. On the line – a berth in the NCCAA national playoffs.• Final home volleyball match is Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7:00 p.m. vs. Mars Hill. Volleyball is still the most entertaining participant sport there is. Support the Crusader spikers.• Bonfire and pep rally Friday night at 10:30 near Blackwell Hall … cooooollll !• I had a fun déjà vu the first night of the World Series when the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies were getting ready to play in the Tropicana Dome. It occurred to me … I’ve been in that dome before … three times. Twice was for Promise Keeper’s rallies, and the other was the first ever sports event to be held in the dome. The first event was a college basketball game between Barry University and Eckerd College. In preparation of St. Petersburg hosting the NCAA South Regional men’s basketball tournament at the dome, the local host committee had a test event and we were it. I was the SID at Barry at the time and they set the basketball court up along first base. It was odd, but historical.• Think NGU has turned up the jets the last few weeks of the football season? We’ve had four (four) ICAA National Players of the Week.. Andre Bernardi, Tyrell Davis, Rashad Cummings and Ronnie Partridge. I nominate Micah Sepko for national SID of the week.• Can you believe it … the first men’s basketball exhibition game is one week away (Nov. 6 at Kennesaw State in Atlanta). First women’s home game is Saturday, Nov. 15 (2:00 p.m.) against Reinhardt College.• Two mini national championship college football games are going on this weekend – Texas vs. Texas Tech and Florida vs. Georgia. I hope the Crusaders get done with South Dakota so Dr. B can watch the Longhorns.• The angry young man, Joe Novotasky (JR, Middleburg, FL) isn’t angry anymore. Joe had a big fumble recovery that set up a NGU score last Saturday.• Freshman quarterback C.T. Morton (Greer, SC) made his first start last weekend. Asked about it, Coach Mike Taylor said C.T. practiced well all week and he planned to start him. He did well and Coach Taylor said he will be a good QB for NGU in the future.• The women’s soccer team has locked up a berth in the NCCAA national playoffs in a few weeks. Stay tuned to the Buzz for more details.• How many of you noticed Tigerville James doing the oooo oooo oooo from Zombie Nation at the end of the second half last week?• Turn your eyes toward the offensive and defensive line this weekend. Sometimes we focus on the skill positions, but forget about the battles going on in the trenches. Knorr, O’Brien, Durham, Thurn, Hughes, Deuerling, Stewart, Wright, Trigg, Florio, Mack, Bell, Wood, Novotasky, Smith, Rush and McDuffie. Names you don’t hear as much about, but would we be hurting without those hard working young men.• Have you been checking the ngcrusaders.com website lately? There is a ton of new information on their every day it seems.• NGU Sport Management sends out a special thanks to Frank and Janice Durham (Zac’s parent s) and Lee and Darlen Hughes (Cameron’s parents) for donating the food, providing the mega grill and making the tailgate last Saturday a success. Dr. Jeff Briggs coordinated the event to raise funds to send our students to a sport management conference in the spring.• Speaking of great parents, Mr. Silvio Bernardi has a done a fabulous job of keeping us informed of progress of NGU in the media and the NCAA. Thanks for keeping us on our toes!• The Penn State (Dr. Johnson, Dean of College of Business) vs. Ohio State (Dr. Briggs, Sport Management coordinator) bowl was won by the Penn States. Better luck next year Buckeyes.• I enjoyed meeting Lola Baker Jones (women’s basketball) and Brian Korn (men’s golf) who were inducted into the NGU Athletic Hall of Fame last weekend. The Hall is a special honor given to former NGU athletes who have distinguished themselves during their time on campus and in their professional lives.• This Saturday is Military Appreciation Day at NGU. Make this a new habit … every time you see a member of the military, law enforcement, or the fire department, make a special point to say, “thank you for your service!”• What a bitter sweet ending to the football season. I will be saddened to watch our seniors pull off the jersey for the final time.